City of Darkness
by StraightLegScorp
Summary: Jace has done something terrible and Clary doesn't think she will ever be able to forgive him. But now that she's been away from him for a while, something even worse has happened, and Clary can't help but blame herself.
1. Intro

_The ring fell to the floor as her hands went weak and she sank to her knees, her expression one of shock and horror. She was so numb that she couldn't feel Simon's unnaturally cold fingers as he grabbed onto her arm and pulled her up, as if she were drowning and he was her lifeline. She couldn't hear him calling her name as a sharp, high-pitched noise echoed in her ears and everything around her was muffled. She couldn't see him even as he held her face with two hands and forced her gaze to lock with his, no matter where she turned all her eyes seemed to see was Jace. Not Jace like he used to be, with all of his predatory actions and arrogant personality. Not the bright, smiling boy who never seemed sad or worried about anything. She saw the Jace who took her heart and shattered it into a million pieces, a look of disgust plain on his face, none of his usual emotion-free features to be seen. Even though Clary had always been able to see straight through him as if he were a window, this felt somehow different, as if everyone could see through that window, as if it wasn't just her who got to view Jace without a well-composed expression. She felt as if a million daggers were stabbing her, and her veins turned to ice. She was numb and broken, and she didn't expect to ever feel any different again._

Clary woke with the sheets tangled around her and beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. She knew that she had been having a nightmare about Jace again, it was as if she could feel it like she used to feel a little shock every time they touched. This nightmare was always the same, and every time it made her feel as if she wanted to scream and cry at the same time. She reminded herself that she couldn't think about Jace, it would just bring up unwanted memories. She tried to force the thoughts from her head, but it was as it used to be, Jace was all she ever thought about.

Feeling emotions swelling inside of her and making her feel as if she were a balloon that was about to burst and release all of the air inside, Clary made her way to the small bathroom, so disoriented that she nearly tripped and fell.

After a quick, cold shower, Clary dressed as fast as she could. She couldn't believe how much she desired to be away from the small cottage that she had rented for the summer. The air felt hot and stuffy, and Clary felt as if her breathing was incredibly strained.

Practically running out the door, Clary almost didn`t see her walking up the path, a gorgeous girl with silky black hair and dressed in all black. _Isabelle_, Clary thought.

"Isabelle," Clary breathed, aloud this time.

"Clarissa Fray," Isabelle said sternly, "I don't expect you could have told me where you were instead of making me hunt you down?"

Clary stared at Isabelle, her mouth agape and no words seeming to reach it. She wanted to hug Isabelle and tell her how much she had missed her and say that her life was awful and she desperately wanted to come home. But Clary knew that she could never do this, since she didn't even want to talk to Isabelle because the conversation might bring up memories of Jace.

"Iz," Clary managed to whisper, so quietly that if Isabelle hadn't been a shadowhunter, she probably wouldn't have heard it.

To Clary's surprise, it was Isabelle who dashed across the stone path and wrapped her arms around Clary, squeezing her tightly as if she never wanted to let her go again. It wasn't until Clary felt wet drops splashing against the back of her neck that she realized Isabelle was crying. Isabelle, who never cried and showed barely any emotion.

Clary held Isabelle until she could feel the wracking of her sobs slow, and her ragged breathing return to normal.

"Izzy, I've only been gone a year and a half," Clary said incredulously, not understanding how she could be so upset.

"Clary, you don't understand anything, do you?" Isabelle stared at her with a look of superiority, as if Clary were ignorant and oblivious to everything.

"Isabelle what's this about? My mother - " Clary began.

"Is fine," Isabelle finished, "This isn't about her."

"So what's it about then?"

"What do you think it's about?" Isabelle asked as her face contorted with a look of tremendous pain. Clary had no answer to Isabelle`s question, but her heart crumpled as she visualized the possibilities. "Clary, you don't know what he's done to himself. Not this time. This time there's no going back to what he was before. There's – there's nothing in this world that could ever undo what he's done."

Please review! :)


	2. Then

**AN: Hey! So I kinda changed my story a little bit. I'm going to do chapters called 'then' and 'now' until I get to the big thing that Jace did which made Clary leave. I did a really bad job on the previous chapter, so I've decided to just scrap it and rewrite something similar later in the story. This chapter starts a month or so after the last book in the series. Just in case you didn't notice, I've also changed the name of the story to _City of Darkness _instead of _The Ring_. I tend to change chapter names multiple times, so you can probably expect it to happen again. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Jace had been having a particularly bad day so far, and he wasn't anxious to have it ruined by more unwanted news from the Silent Brothers. Alec had been at Magnus', doing something that he claimed to be 'important'. Clary had been with Simon, her mother and Luke, supposedly helping to plan the wedding - again. And Isabelle had been with Jordan, probably venting about her Simon problems again - only this time without the alcohol. Unfortunately, this left Jace all by himself, with only Church to entertain him.

He had done everything imaginable, he'd even thrown a ball of yarn, which began to smoke when he held it for too long - this literal 'on fire' thing really wasn't working out for him, especially since he had to resist his urges around Clary.

What Jace was not expecting, however, was the visit from a werewolf, a female werewolf to boot. She had rapped lightly at the door, as Jace scowled, "Really Maryse, I don't need another pillow. I'm not dying, I'm on fire." _Though the former might be preferable_, he added silently. Since he was expecting Maryse, Jace was extremely surprised when a girl with caramel skin and dark hair pulled into tight braids walked in and flashed her pearly white teeth at him.

"Maia?" he asked, extremely confused, "You heard about the extravagant party I'm hosting? Me, myself and I were just in the middle of a _great_ conversation."

"I'm not in the mood for your arrogant attitude or sarcastic remarks, Jace," she snapped at him.

"Sorry, the modest and not verbally ironic Jace has been on vacation for the past 19 years. I'm afraid if you want to see him you'll have to come back another time," Jace replied, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"You are exactly like him," she muttered under her breath.

"And whom is this person you are talking about? For surely, nobody in the world even comes close to my dashing good looks and even better personality," Jace replied cockily.

"The similarities almost want to make me run and hide," Maia said, though she looked completely serious.

"What? Can't take this stunningly attractive face any longer?" Jace questioned, amused for the moment.

"I wonder when you'll start becoming abusive," Maia couldn't hide the look of fear and curiosity from her face.

"If you haven't noticed, I already am verbally abusive. Most people are just too incompetent to understand my witty and genius remarks," Jace retorted.

"If only Clary could see…" Maia sighed exaggeratedly.

That was it for Jace, he was getting angry now. "What do you _want_, Maia?" he growled, struggling to keep his expression composed.

"I want you to do me a favour," Maia replied.

"You seriously expect me to do you a _favour_ after you accuse me of becoming abusive? You may as well just forget that you asked, because it's not going to happen," he answered, his voice seethed with anger and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Oh trust me on this one, I think you'll do what I ask," Maia sounded so sure that Jace's eyes narrowed further and his confidence began to fade.

"Why is that?" he had to ask, though he wasn't necessarily sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"I think I have something that may be of interest to you," she replied, obviously trying to prolong this one moment of uncertainty on Jace's part.

"Which would be…?" Jace prompted, hoping that she would just rip off the band-aid and tell him all ready.

"A cure."

* * *

Clary and Simon had taken the subway to the Institute, not bothering to ask Luke if they could borrow his truck. They got off of the subway and walked along the sidewalk aboveground, seeing as the weather was unseasonably warm for December.

As Simon looked over at his best friend, he could see her teeth clamped down on her lip, as they always were when she was nervous. He reached for her hand and she linked her fingers with his, like they used to when they were little and they had walked to school together. As they came up to the front door of the Institute, Simon gave Clary's hand a quick squeeze before releasing it so that she could open the door. Simon - not being able to enter the Institute - waved goodbye and walked to the coffee shop around the block, where Isabelle had asked to meet him.

* * *

Just as Clary walked through the door, Alec portaled in, presumably from Magnus' house. They nodded once to each other and walked towards the elevator, both of them nervously fidgeting. On normal occasions, Alec and Clary would have spoken to each other, but it seemed that with everything going on, they were both speechless.

As they walked into the elevator, Clary could feel an incredible amount of tension in the room that didn't ease her nerves in the least. Alec could have just come home to see his parents and visit Jace as usual, but Clary knew better. Jace had been told that he would hear the prognosis from the Silent Brothers today, and everyone was anxious about what they would have had to say.

Suddenly the lack of air in the tight space made Clary feel claustrophobic, and she couldn't be more anxious to leave. She felt dizzy, forced to lean against one of the walls for support. Her face paled and she felt as if she were about to be sick.

Alec looked over at her and gently caught her as she began to slide down the elevator wall, her knees going week. Her legs felt numb and she couldn't manage to stand. Jace was doomed. Jace was doomed, and Clary knew it. And if Jace was doomed, that meant that Clary was doomed too. They were both doomed.

They elevator made a _dinging_ noise and Clary rushed out, managing to find her feet again. She sucked in huge breaths of air, her lungs inflating and deflating like a balloon. Alec crawled out afterwards, his face revealing no expression, but his eyes tinged with concern.

"Clary, I'm sure he's fine," Alec said reassuringly.

"I know, I'm overreacting, but what if he isn't fine? What if it's permanent, Alec?" Clary asked honestly, her eyebrows furrowing.

"When has Jace ever not been able to handle anything that's happened to him?" Alec answered her question with a question, and she wondered how much time he'd been spending with Jace lately.

"But what if he can't handle it?"

"Trust me, Clary. If he doesn't get to touch you because of his situation, he'll go to the ends of the earth to change that," Alec looked at her impatiently, obviously seeing more about Jace's feelings for Clary than she ever could.

They walked briskly together to the infirmary, where Jace was being held. A cloaked figure glided silently into the library as they passed. Looking through the door, Clary could see Maryse standing with a nervous look on her face as Brother Jeremiah began speaking to her.

Clary was now basically running to the door that led to the infirmary, suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that something might have happened to Jace. As soon as she arrived, however, she stopped and took a deep breath, not wanting Jace to see her so flushed.

She had been about to walk in, when she turned to face Alec. "Can I go in there on my own first?" she asked, pleading.

At first, Alec looked uncertain and it took him a minute to respond. "Sure, Clary," he said, his eyes full of understanding, making Clary wonder if in that moment of pondering, Alec had thought of what he would of wanted if it was Magnus.

She put her hand on the knob of the door, and slowly began to turn it.

* * *

**Please review! :)**

**Peace, love and sparkles,  
**

**SLS  
**


	3. Now

**Hey guys! I have a busy week this week so after this chapter, you probably shouldn't expect another one up for about a week but I'll try my best! This is a pretty short chapter and I'm sorry but I also had a really busy weekend.**

***This chapter is titled 'now' because it's in the present, when Isabelle had gone to get Clary because of what Jace did. Just in case you were confused. XD  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot *sigh***

* * *

"Wh -" Clary began, although there were too many questions to ask and too little time to ask them. _What did he do? Why did he do it? When did he do it? What were they going to do? _And most importantly, _what was Clary supposed to do? _So instead of asking them, she simply said, "We should go."

She turned to face the brick exterior of the small cottage and created a portal. As she glanced back at Isabelle, she noticed for the first time, the small black band of runes encircling her ring finger. Isabelle noticed where Clary was looking and smiled as Clary gasped, unable to hide the look of shock on her face.

Clary spun around and jumped through the portal, thinking of the Institute, her old and potentially foreign home.

* * *

"Brother Jeremiah," Maryse welcomed him wholly into the Institute, as he had been there so often over the past couple of years, that it would seem strange if he were not there.

_Ms. Trueblood. Where is the boy?_ Jeremiah's voice echoed through her head. Without speaking, Maryse gestured for the Silent Brother to follow her, as she led the way to the Sanctuary.

_Your home seems rather empty today, Maryse._

"Alec and Magnus went home after spending the night here, and Isabelle went to go find Clary," Maryse responded, trying not to show how much she missed her children. Jeremiah, however, took no notice of her emotional state.

_Ah, Clarissa. She has been gone for a while now, hasn't she?_

"About a year and a half," Maryse answered honestly.

_Do you think that Jonathan did this because of her?_ Jeremiah asked bluntly.

"I think everything Jace does is because of her," Maryse replied with a heavy sigh.

* * *

Simon sank down onto the old and faded leather couch in his family room, a mug of coffee in his hand. His mother walked in behind him, placing the tray of chocolate chip cookies on the glass coffee table and taking a seat next to Simon. She had made his favourite cookies, and Simon's heart snapped in two as she offered him one.

"Mom -" Simon began, but was interrupted by Rebecca. "He can't eat that, mom. Unless those are bloody-chip cookies, Simon will throw up after consuming one. Not to mention the fact that he's only told you this thousands of times."

Simon's mother looked hurt, making tears sting the back of his eyes. Simon took the cookie from her slightly shaking fingers and shoved it in his mouth. When his mother looked so vulnerable and sad, Simon knew he would do anything to make her smile again. And she did. As he chewed and swallowed around the lump in his throat, nausea already beginning to kick in, her lips quirked up at the sides and her eyes were alight with happiness.

He gulped down the rest of his coffee before standing up to go to his bedroom, where he would surely be sick all night. He kissed his mom's forehead and gave Rebecca a pointed look before retreating to his room.

As he walked away, he could hear them arguing in hushed voices. Even one floor up, with his door closed, he could still hear Rebecca talking about his change in needs. He slid to the floor, bending his knees to his chest and putting his head in his hands. It had been hard spending time away from his family, but Simon figured that this was harder. Even though his mom had washed away any signs of faith that she had previously scrawled all over the house, he still felt that she would never stop thinking of him as the monster who took her son away.

Simon didn't blame her. He was a beast in a boy's body. He had needle-tipped incisors which could probably make bears run away. He had ice-cold skin that wouldn't heat up if he was standing in the middle of a scalding fire. He used to have a Mark that would rip a person to shreds if they even thought about taking his life - not that his mother knew or ever needed to know this. And sometimes, the burning desire to drink human blood made Simon inwardly cower, worried that he might repeat his episode with Maureen.

Raphael had once told him that Shakespeare's genius not only applied to humans, but vampires as well. He had given him one of Shakespeare's plays called Macbeth to read. One line had popped out to him.

It said, "Stars hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires. / The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he started to gag. Knowing exactly what would happen, Simon sprinted to the bathroom, clutching his stomach as he began retching up blood along with bits of cookie into the toilet, as he had done numerous times since his mother allowed him to come back home.

* * *

Clary and Isabelle arrived at the Institute only moments later. Isabelle strode down the hall with a somewhat uncertain-looking Clary following closely behind her.

"Izzy, are you married?" Clary asked, somewhat cautiously.

"A hell of a lot has happened since you left Clary. And no I'm not married, I'm only engaged," Isabelle replied, letting some of her anger escape with her words.

"Who?" Clary was suddenly feeling very shy, as if she didn't belong in the Lightwood's world anymore.

"You never seemed to care to keep up with our lives while you disappeared, so why should you now?" Isabelle's tone was as cold and hard as ice, and Clary was silenced, with no words formulating in her mouth.

They had been walking for a couple of minutes now, and they were nearing their destination. Though Clary was not paying any attention to anything but Isabelle, and she didn't even notice as they stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall.

When Clary finally regained her voice, she turned to Isabelle and said, "I didn't leave because of you, Iz."

"I know, Clary. You left because of Jace and you're back because of Jace. Seems to me that Jace is the only one who can make you do anything, isn't he?" Isabelle replied as she looked at Clary menacingly.

"What if I'm not here for Jace?" Clary questioned as she tried to come up with an excuse as to why she could have been there.

"You think I don't know you Clary? You think I don't know that you've been missing him every single day since you left, or that you've never stopped loving him, or that you've never even touched another boy since him? You think I never saw him torturing himself because of what he did? You think he stopped searching for you, hoping that there might be a slight chance that he could make you come back? You think I don't know that he would have killed himself by now, but that he knows it would have been too easy and he wouldn't suffer enough? You think he didn't do this because of you!?" Isabelle was screaming by the end of her rant, and her face was scrunched up in pain and hatred for Clary, as she opened the door to the sanctuary and let Clary see what lay in the room beyond.

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**My english teacher has this thing called the good, the bad and the ugly, where he basically tells us what we did well, what was okay and what sucked. So feel free to tell me my good, bad and ugly!  
**

**Did anyone pick up on Maryse's last name? Anyone wanna guess at what's going on there? It's pretty easy so I'm sure you'll all get it.  
**

**Please review! Tell me if you love it or hate it, and please correct me if I made any mistakes anywhere!  
**

**Peace, love and sparkles,  
**

**SLS  
**


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